Bar fights: Yes, you can be charged with assault

On behalf of Arthur Aidala of Aidala Bertuna & Kamins posted in Blog on Monday January 1, 2018.

Everyone loves a good bar fight, right? Well, not really. In fact, you can get into trouble if you start or continue a bar fight that is underway. There’s a risk of injuries, so you or someone else could get hurt, and, in some extreme cases, people can even end up dead.

When you assault another person, it doesn’t matter where it happens. You face the risk of getting into trouble if the police are called and the other party wants to press charges. Bars aren’t areas where you can get away with getting into fights and blame it on intoxication. While it’s presumed that tempers might run high and that individuals may not be thinking straight, the reality is that someone usually ends up getting arrested and charged with assault.

Is there a good defense for getting into a bar fight?

While there isn’t a good defense for getting into a fist fight in most cases, you could argue that you’re fighting in self-defense. For example, if you see another person trying to attack someone who can’t defend him- or herself, it might be acceptable to step in and end the fight quickly. Likewise, if someone attacks you suddenly, using reasonable force to end the fight is usually acceptable in the eyes of the law.

Intoxication isn’t a very good defense for a bar fight, but it may work depending on the cause of intoxication. For example, if you can show that you were drugged without your knowledge, you may be able to prove that you wouldn’t have otherwise gotten into a fight or attacked someone else.

Everything in your case depends on the specifics of your particular situation. Your attorney will go over the case with you to help you figure out a strong defense.